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Former Mechanical Engineer turned Stay-at-Home Mom. My loves: God, my husband, my kids, my family, my friends...throw in some paper crafting, planning of any kind using spreadsheets, general crafty stuff, and some cake decorating and I am a happy girl! Plus a vacation every once in awhile!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

It is definitely turning out to be Fall around here. As I sit at my laptop computer (on my dining room table), I can see our gigantic tree in the backyard is starting to change colors. It is funny, I love Fall and all of the color changes, so I love seeing our big tree change colors, but then instantly the little voice in my head reminds me that it means that all of those leaves will be coming down in a bit...ugh! The only part of Fall I do not like...raking leaves, raking leaves, and raking some more leaves! Seriously this is a humongous tree!! Oh well I will try and enjoy the color and the first couple of rakings where I can bury the kids...it is the rakings after the fun has expired that I dread!

So this card was suppose to be posted on Tuesday, but for some reason I completely forgot. Tuesday was my last day as a Guest Designer for Sweet n' Sassy Stamps! It was so much fun breaking out my Sweet n' Sassy images every week during the month of September. I finished off my guest designing stint with the rocket from Little Boy Toys...love this rocket! I used the latest Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge #75 for my layout and went with a bold color scheme. I found this Night Sky pattern paper in my stash and built everything around that. The rocket was stamped in Brilliance Graphite Black ink and watercolored with an aquabrush and ink pads. I colored in other parts of the rocket with a silver gel pen. The image was cut out with an oval nestabilities and my background panels were cut with the Labels 14 dies. Some sparkly ribbon and some black rhinestones finished it off. Did I add too much sparkle/bling for a boy's card?! I am still planning it for a boy, so I hope not!

Monday, September 27, 2010

All I can say is seriously?! That was done in my best Grey's Anatomy manner (do they still say that on the show?)...I swear I always said "seriously" before the show came on, but I may have been influenced by it too! Anyway, remember how I got a cold right before my half marathon...well low and behold here I am with another one. Got it before I think I was truly done with the first one. Ugh! Seriously?! Here's hoping I can finally get healthy and stay that way for a little bit!

I am going to admit when I used the term inspiration, I mean it very loosely! Basically I took the colors (even that is a bit weak) from the inspiration picture. But the pic shows wind blowing and Bubbles is blowing bubbles...both wind...ok I know I am stretching a bit here. Oh well! Anyway, Bubbles was stamped in Brilliance Graphite Black on watercolor paper and watercolored with an aquabrush and ink pads. I colored the bubbles (notice the ones at the bottom of the card too) with the Clear Stars Gelly Roll pen. The paper is from the Green at Heart paper pad by Basic Grey.

So now that I am catching up, I will be getting my October Release stuff for Paper Makeup Stamps ready...that will be coming up soon, so stay tuned! Don't forget that if you participate in the Makeup 4 the Weekend #34 with Paper Makeup Stamps, you could win a free single stamp of your choice...so get crackin'! Until then, thanks for checking out my kind of engineering!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

I did it! I actually walked a half marathon...although technically I need to point out that they obviously accurately measured the marathon but not the half marathon because I think it was closer to 13.5 miles instead of 13.1 miles...and believe me that extra 0.4 miles was definitely felt! I managed to keep up around 14:30 minute miles...which is pretty fast for me. More impressive is that I did that when at around mile 9 my hips were in pain (until about a day ago) and my knee (which I have had numerous surgeries on) starting aching at about mile 10. I remember trying to lift my knee to stretch it out a little and I could barely bend it! But I still completed the Air Force Half Marathon at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio. And I may actually do it again next year! I was just glad that I got healthy prior to it...I managed to catch a cold a week prior and basically did nothing in hopes I could get rid of it in time!

So since I was sleeping all last week (just about literally!) I missed my Sweet n' Sassy Guest Designer post...well I made a post, but just with an old card. Pretty much killed me to do that, but I made up for it with this cutie card. The layout for my card is using last week's Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge #73 and I was inspired to try my hand at the offset scallop look with the Moxie Fab World Offset Scallop Gallop Challenge. So I stamped the cutie plane from the Little Boy Toys set in Brilliance Graphite Black ink on watercolor paper. I watercolored it with an aquabrush and ink pads, added a little silver gel pen accents, and cut it out. I created my offset scallop sky with 1-1/4" circles punched out of various shades of blue and a couple scallop circles of white for clouds. The plane was then popped up off of the scallops with some dimensionals.

The sentiment which is included in the set was stamped in the corner and the card was finished off with some gingham ribbon and a button with a little silver cording.

For my second card uses the current Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge #74 which has a spin of using Deep Red and Mustard colors. As fall is nearing around here, this is definitely a color combo up my alley!

This time I used one of the butterflies from the Everyday Miracles stamp set. I stamped the butterfly twice in Brilliance Graphite Black ink...once on Very Vanilla cardstock and once on watercolor paper. I watercolored the one butterfly with an aquabrush and ink pads. I masked the other butterfly and then stamped more butterflies randomly around it in three colors of ink. This was then cut out with a Circle Nestabilities and matted on a Big Scallop Circle of Kraft cardstock.

Then I cut out my watercolored butterfly leaving a little tab at the base of the wings. I folded that tab over and glue it down and attached the rest of the wings with a dimensional. Gives it a slightly 3D effect. Finally the sentiment was stamped in Bravo Burgundy and matted on a Big Scallop circle of More Mustard. Then the card was finished off with some black satin ribbon and black rhinestones. Gosh I just love those butterflies!

Hopefully I am done with my cold and I will be back with another Sweet n' Sassy creation next Tuesday! Until then (or sooner), thanks for checking out my kind of engineering!

So for my eye candy today, I pulled out my much beloved and much used set, Dandy Wishes (which can be found HERE on the QP site). I inked it up with So Saffron ink and then a I "thumped" (technical term there...lol!) my Rich Razzelberry marker all over the inked up stamp. Gave it a little "huff" and stamped it on some white cardstock. I ticket corner punched all of the corners and added a vanilla button with some twine to the center. This was then layered on top of some great So Sophie paper by My Mind's Eye and finished off with some twine.

Now you need to go check out the rest of all of the other designers have in store for you...you will see how fantastic Paper Makeup Stamps really are!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Can I just say...I hate being sick! I have been sick now with a lovely cold for 5-6 days now and I am now in the cough-up-a-lung stage. I have been going to bed super early (which is totally NOT like me...I tend to like to stay up far too late because I enjoy my "me" time) and trying to take it easy because I am suppose to be walking a half marathon on Saturday! Would be helpful to not be coughing to do so! So here is to me getting enough rest in before then!

And since I have been going to bed so early, I have not been getting any stamping time...at all! This does not make me happy in the least. So hopefully with better health will come some stamping time, but again I can't push it until after my race on Saturday! So today I just have for you a card that I made that I sent in as a Paper Crafts submission and it was not accepted. But I still love this card! It was based on a sketch that they provided (shown below)...which was a totally intimidating sketch with all of those triangles. So I looked at them as banner flags and pulled out my Maya Fairy by Paper Makeup Stamps, whom I think has a pretty good cheerleader pose going on. She was stamped in Black Stazon on my white base cardstock and then on several pieces of pattern paper from the Green at Heart Paper Pad by Basic Grey. I then paper pieced her together (even her cheeks!), colored her lips, and added some white gel pen accents.

My banner flags were cut from the same paper pad and I stuck a gold shimmer letter sticker on each one. Who wouldn't want a Cheers to them?! Finished it off with a scalloped strip and a white ribbon and bow...oh and of course some sparkle to the fairy's wings!

Off to get some more rest! Send healthy thoughts my way and hope that I can get through my 13.1 miles on Saturday!! Thanks for checking out my kind of engineering!

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Happy Saturday to you all! Today our family has another first...my son has his first soccer game. We have taken a soccer class before, but this is much more official with uniforms and stuff. Still not real confident that soccer will suit him...he currently (and had been for awhile) is in gymnastics which is more of an individual sport...soccer he has to get a little bit more "in there"...you know what I mean? So it should be interesting nonetheless!

Today is the final Review day for the Paper Makeup Stamps September Release. I truly did love this release and I was very excited to ink up Bubbles the Duck. Isn't he just the cutest?! He just looks like the carefree type taking his time to "enjoy the little moments"! I used the current sketch from Sketch Saturday for my layout. So I stamped him first on my base white cardstock with Chocolate Chip ink and then on a couple colors of pattern paper. I sponged Blush Blossom on my white piece with my Nestie still in place. Then I sponged a little Chocolate Chip around the outer edge as well. Bubbles was paper pieced together and given a fluffy tummy with some white Fluff. Only thing I wish I would have done was to paper piece some white cardstock on his belly so that it would be more white...the Fluff wasn't as opaque as I was hoping it would be! I also added a little white gel pen to his collar and the bubbles themselves.

The greeting comes from the fabulous Little Moments set released this month...simply stamped in Chocolate Chip ink in the corner. I just used strips of the pattern paper sponged with Chocolate Chip to get all of my layers in there. The final touch was the Chocolate Chip Corduroy Button that has a white button brad going through the button holes and some more white button brads off to the side.

Make sure to check out the other beautiful creations by the rest of the team by visiting the PMS Blog. And don't forget to take some time to participate in the Makeup 4 the Weekend Challenge and the Release Party Challenges...how can you pass up the chance for FREE stamps!! Thanks for checking out my kind of engineering!

Friday, September 10, 2010

Ok back at it...we had two days of school and already a day off! We got Rosh Hashanah off...it was just very weird to start to get a feel for how this school stuff was going to work and then all of the sudden, we get a day off. But we get back into it today. I am pretty confident I won't have our routine down though for another week or so...but it will come!

Isn't that a beautiful poem. Just love it! So from that poem I came upon this card. I chose "fallish" colors and picked up on the gold part of the poem. And of course the fairy part too! So I stamped the Kat the Pinwheel fairy in Brilliance Graphite Black twice on Whisper White cardstock. One I outlined with a gold Gelly Roll pen and the other I colored a portion of the image with a Blender Pen and ink pads. I then spotlighted the fairy's face with the colored version over top of the outlined version. I stamped the "Make a Wish" from the Dandy Wishes set in Versamark and embossed it on gold embossing powder...a little hard to read, but I like the added gold. Finished it off with some Tangerine rhinestones and a Pumpkin Pie and gold combo bow.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

So what did you think of the Paper Makeup Stamps September Release? If you happen to miss is, you can see all of the fabulousness HERE. It truly was a great release full of fairies, critters, and great sentiments!

During the Release Party a couple of challenges were issued. And if you participate in each of the challenges (separately...no combining) you could win a $15 voucher for PMS stamps! How cool is that?! We would love to see PMS stamps used, so if you don't have any (what are you waiting for?), you can grab a free digi on the site and use that! Finally once you have completed the challenge (by the way, there are two of them), link it up to the Challenge POST to be entered to win! Ok so anyway, this card is using the Release Party Color Challenge of Pink, Aqua, and Brown and the current Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge #155. I stamped that sassy kitten, Francesca, in Brilliance Graphite Black ink on watercolor paper and watercolored her with an aquabrush and ink pads. She was cut out with Circle Nesties and hand matted (in other words I cut the Teal layer myself there since I wanted a narrow mat). The pattern paper is from the retired Banbury collection of SU! which now has current colors with the Pink Pirouette. The sentiment is from the newly released Little Moments set (love this collection of sentiments).

So now go get inky so that you could be in the running for the $15 voucher...just make sure to link up to the PMS Blog. Thanks for checking out my kind of engineering!

So I have been meaning to write this post for awhile. We had such a busy last couple weeks of summer, I thought I would share the highlights. The rest of our summer before was fantastic as well filled with beach visits, camping, family, and friends. But these last few weeks were a great way to end our summer!

To start off our end of summer journey, my son, at the ripe old age of 5, took his First Communion. he had been crying nearly everytime he went up to Communion with my husband (I am always singing with the Praise Band) because he wanted to take it too. When we got a new Pastor at church we thought we could have the Pastor explain that First Communion happens at a defined age (I want to say 3rd grade, but I could be off on that)...instead the Pastor says if he is Baptized and wants to accept the gift of Communion, he is welcome to. Well that one threw us...not the way my church did it as a kid. I think the ELCA Lutheran church may have a different view than the Missouri Synod Lutheran church I grew up in...that or the Pastor has a differnt view. Either way, the Pastor was ok with it. We had my son talk with the Pastor one more time (just to make sure he knew what he was asking for) and we required him to learn the lord's Prayer prior to taking it. SUre enough the little guy learned the prayer in a month. So we got family together and celebrated him taking his First Communion!

Then we headed over to the West side of Michigan to visit a place south of Saint Joseph right on Lake Michigan. My entire family gets together for a trip once a year (beyond the various Holidays throughout the year) and I picked a place called Chalet on the Lake. It was wonderful! Right on beautiful Lake Michigan and a park filled with plenty to do. I gotta tell you...sunsets on Lake Michigan rival anywhere else I have been!

Then when we got back from our trip...I came home to a wonderful package! Since there recently was a big change in teh Paper Makeyp Stamps design team (which is when I was added), we decided to have a Secret Sister swap amongst as many of the team that could participate. This is what I recieved from my Big Sis, Tina Hale! Wasn't she just the sweetest?! Her cards were stunning and I loved the notepad. Then she was generous enough to get me a pad of Basic Grey paper and some beautful ribbon and twine. So sweet! Thank you again Tina!

The final trip of the summer was back to the West side of Michigan again up at Silver Lake. This area has so much to do as well...unfortunately the weather did not make things easy on us, but we tried not to let it stop us! We made it to Michigan's Adventure Amusement Park and had fun through torrential downpours...yeah we were pretty tired of being wet after that day, but we did manage to get about 3 hours at the end of the day without any rain. My husband enjoyed a morning riding his dirt bike on the dunes (only spot in Michigan that allows vehicles on the dunes) while the rest of us braved the major wind that day to see Little Sable Lighthouse. The next day was extremely chilly (especially when we packed more for summer), but we managed some dune jumping and a visit to a nearby petting farm...check out the picture that has a goat, zebra, and a camel all together! They also had a corn maze there in which we let the kids guide us...well not really but we tried to let them think they were guiding us! Then we finishe dthe trip to the Ludington North Breakwater Light in which Adi was allowed to climb to the top...she wasn't allowed to climb Little Sable, so she was super excited to be able to do this lighthouse!

Then we came back and had to get ready for my son's first day of Kindergarten! He was so excited to ride the school bus and had a great first day and week! My daughter was pretty impressed by the bus too because that is all she could talk about too..."Ewijah rode da bus", but she missed him too...always asking where he was. Cutest part was seeing how happy they were to see each other!

So that was my last few weeks of summer. Full of fun! Thanks for checking out my kind of engineering...or travel!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

It is September 7....are you ready?? There are lots of exciting things going on today. Like my son having his first day of Kindergarten (seriously when did he get old enough to go to Kindergarten?!). Or maybe my trip to the Post Office to send a project that got accepted in the Paper Crafts Stamp It! Techniques issue (still can't believe it!). Or maybe the Paper Makeup Stamps Release Party that happens on the PMS Forum tonight at 9 pm EST (you know you want to join us!). Or maybe what you are truly here for...the September PMS Blog Hop! Yes that is exciting! Now you should be coming here from Michelle's Blog, but if you are not, make sure you start back at the Beginning to ensure you collect all of the letters for 15% Off the Entire Release!

Michelle did a fantastic job with that adorable pinwheel image, right? Well here the pinwheel is incorporated with one of the latest fairies, Kat! Isn't she adorable...what do you think she is wishing for? Do you wish when blowing on a pinwheel...now I am not sure. Looks fun, none-the-less. So I stamped her in Black Stazon ink on Very Vanilla cardstock. I watercolored her with markers and an aquabrush...gives a slightly different look because the edges of each section are bolder due to the markers. Makes me think about how I used to color when I was younger!

She was cut out with Oval Nestabilities and matted on a scalloped oval. She is topping a special box that I made for a special friend. Some of the design team members did a secret sis exchange and this box and the necklace inside (see below) went to my big Sis (Hi Big Sis!). The pattern paper on each side of the box is Kitchen Spice Allspice by Bo Bunny. Then I finished it off with some Bazzill Basics rhinestones and some chocolate taffeta ribbon.

So now you are to head over Christi T's Blog and see what amazing thing she has created with the kit released this month. Oh wait you also need to collect my letter, so here you go:

Don't forget to join us tonight at the PMS Forum for some fun, challenges, chatter, and prizes! It is always entertaining!! Until then, thanks for checking out my kind of engineering!

Not always a motto I follow, but for the most part change is good...right?! In this case change is very good! I was asked to be a Guest Designer for Sweet n' Sassy Stamps for the month of September!! How very exciting and I am totally honored to even be asked. Now I just hope that I can deliver the goods! If you would like to read the announcement (and my bio...they gave me free reign so it is way too lengthy and that is with some editing...note to self, talk less!!) check out the POST on the Sweet n' Sassy Stamps Blog.

So for my first POST on the Sweet n' Sassy Stamps Blog, I created a card using the Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge #72 (how could I not use a Sweet Stop Sketch?!) and the awesome set Everyday Miracles. I actually didn't have a good butterfly stamp (well I have one but it is from a retired SU! set) so I was super excited to get my hands on this set. I love the sentiments that go with it as well...they could be useful in so many stages of life! I stamped the butterfly in Black Stazon ink all over a rectangular piece of watercolor paper making sure one butterfly was fully shown. Then I trimmed the two long sides back cutting around the full butterfly's wings. I stamped the butterfly a second time as well.

Then I watercolored the wings and cut out the second butterfly's top wings and body. This was matted on Sahara Sand cardstock. Then I used some very cool So Sophie paper by My Mind's Eye to complete my card. The sentiment was stamped in Black Stazon ink. The final touches were to add some dyed white taffeta ribbon (dyed it Sahara Sand color) and a rolled flower following the tutorial on SCS.

So since I am guest designing for the month of September, you will be seeing some Sweet n' Sassy stamps here every Tuesday! Thanks for checking out my kind of engineering!

Monday, September 6, 2010

Whew! That is about all I can say right now. We are back from a great weekend and I am trying to catch up on everything and get ready for a very eventful week! Our trip was filled with torrental downpours (oh for like 5 hours) while we were at Michigan's Adventure Amusement Park, mega wind as we tried to climb the dunes at Silver Lake, MI, and fairly frigid temperatures when we were thinking it was still summer! But all in all, we made the best of it and had a great time. I am hoping to get a highlights post up sometime this week.

But the BIG news is that today is Day 4 of the Paper Makeup StampsSneak Peeks for the September Release! I get the privilege of showing you an amazing sentiment set called Little Moments. I am seriously lacking in sentiments, so this set came at a great time! It is filled with all sorts of great sentiments...that amazingly (wink, wink) go well with a lot of PMS Stamps!! You can see the full set at the bottom of this post. I had this adorable Rachel fairy (she is on sale right now!!) that had not seen ink yet, so I decided to use her and the "Take it Easy" sentiment from the set. Basically tellin' her to drop that ladle and broom and sit down with a nice cold one...ok at least that is what I was tellin' her in my head! Anyway, I stamped her in Black Stazon Ink on watercolor paper and watercolored (with ink pads and Aquabrush) her to match my Basic Grey Euphoria paper. She was cut out and matted on one of my new Labels 14 die with some white gel dots to make it special.

The sentiment from Little Moments was stamped in Tempting Turquoise and underlined with a streak of Pretty in Pink. It was then punched and matted a few times. Two surprising things about this card...1) I didn't use a sketch...I know shockers of all shockers and 2) I didn't not add any ribbon...almost did, but I restrained myself! But of course I had to add some sparkle, so I added some Cotton Candy Stickles to the Rachel fairy and the underline of the word Easy.

Oh and you know that with PMS Sneak Peeks, there has to be a prize...well there is actually two this time around! If you would like to win the Little Moments set, you need to leave a comment on the PMS Blog (while you are there you need to check out what the other designers did with this great sentiment set!) and then the winner will be drawn during the Release Party on September 7 (9 pm EST at the PMS Forum...be there or be square!). But there is more (remember I told you there was two prizes)...well if you go to the PMS Blog and grab the Release Party Button (jpeg or html code), post it to your blog, then leave a comment on THIS POST to be entered to win a $20 Gift Certificate to Paper Makeup Stamps! You gotta hurry though because it has to be done before the Release Party on the 7th (remember 9 pm EST at the PMS Forum!). Now go win some great stamps and thanks for checking out my kind of engineering!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

**Sorry for the blank post in your reader if you read it that way...I hit enter which publishes it when I meant to hit Save as Draft!**

It has been a busy last few weeks between my son taking his First Communion (yes he is only 5, but apparently the ELCA Lutheran Church is different than the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church I grew up in...more on this on another day), a trip to the West side of Michigan (seriously I dare to say the sunsets on Lake Michigan can rival anywhere in the world...I will show pictures soon to prove it to you!!) and a trip this weekend back to the West side of Michigan for some playing on the sand dunes and hitting Michigan's Adventure Amusement Park (my son is uber excited for this!). Then when we get back, my baby boy will start Kindergarten...EEK! So not sure I am ready for that big day! So I have lots to share with you on another date, but since I am suppose to be packing right now to leave, I better stick to what is at hand and to let you know what is coming up!

So first, Paper Makeup Stamps is sponsoring the Sketch Challenge this week at 2 Sketches 4 You and I just had to play along! The sketch, Kazan's Sketch 60, was a little intimidating at first...I have a hard time with random rectangles places...but I think I made it work (probably because I made the random rectangle extend further on each side). I chose the Marissa Fairy (which by the way is reduced in price by 35% right now!!) because she was a nice long image that would work with the sketch and pulled out my Basic Grey Green at Heart Paper Pad (Love It!) for my color scheme. I paper pieced the skirt and star on my fairy and colored the leotard, shoes, and cheeks with a Melon Mambo marker (nothing fancy here!). Then I cut a rectangle around her allowing the bit of skirt and hand to fall outside of the rectangle. Then I trimmed both ends of my green strip (aka the random rectangle I extended...hehe) with the Upper Crest Border Punch by Friskars. I trimmed the bottom of my main panel with the same punch, embossed the greeting (this was the free one that came with purchase last month), and added some purple pearl accents.

There has been some Design Team changes with Paper Makeup Stamps! Shaela Odd was promoted to the Senior Design Team and Simonne Clay (last month's Guest Designer) was added as a Makeup Artist! So please stop by their blogs and congratulate them both! I also wanted to take a moment to let you know that the Sneak Peeks for the awesome September Release with Paper Makeup Stamps starts on September 4...it really is a great one!! My peek ins't until September 6, but check out the PMS Blog for all of them (and the chance to win some free Rubbah!). That's it for me...off to go pack! Thanks for checking out my kind of engineering!